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Lasse Hallström Returns To Sweden For The Hypnotist

While we only have his Swedish film My Life As A Dog in the Criterion Collection, director Lasse Hallström is predominantly known for his film work in the States over the past 24 years.

With the occasional hit (What’s Eating Gilbert Grape and The Cider House Rules comes to mind), Hallström has flubbed film after film, including underwhelming projects such as Casanova, The Hoax, and yes, the dreadful romance drama and Channing Tatum vehicle, Dear John.

Well, the director has not only found a rather interesting project to jump aboard, but it will be his first made in his native Sweden in 24 years.

THR is reporting that Hallström will start shooting a film called The Hypnotist come this winter, and if things go well, it will launch a brand new franchise in the vein of the Millennium film trilogy led by The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.

The film follows a detective named Joona Linna, as he ‘investigates a grisly triple homicide where the only survivor, a young boy, is too traumatized to testify. Linna convinces a famous psychologist, against his better judgment, to hypnotize the boy, setting off a terrifying chain of events.’ The novel is penned by Lars Kepler, and while Hallström hasn’t been on his A game as of late, the film does really sound like an intriguing step forward for the filmmaker.   I do genuinely like the premise, so hopefully this one proves that not all may be lost on the Hallström front.

Also of note, this likely means that Hallström is off of the upcoming film, The Danish Girl, which he was attached to.   Nothing has been confirmed on that front, but it doesn’t seem likely that Hallström will stay aboard the film if he is set to shoot this film come winter of this year.   More on this front as it comes.

Source: THR



Joshua Brunsting

Josh is a critic, a member of the Online Film Critics Society, a wrestling nerd, a hip-hop head, a father, a cinephile and a man looking to make his stamp on the world, one word at a time.

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